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EC is taking action on horsemeat scandal, assures commissioner

The EU Comissioner for health and consumer policy has stressed that the European Commission is taking action over the horsemeat contamination scandal.

The EU Comissioner for health and consumer policy has stressed that the European Commission is taking action over the horsemeat contamination scandal.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with ministers from the EU countries hit by the scandal, commissioner Tonio Borg said the EC was monitoring the situation “very closely” and working with authorities in member states to ensure the source of the contamination was “properly identified and addressed”.

He added that the EU had a “one of the safest” food systems in the world, and that EU policies on traceability had enabled national authorities to investigate the problem.

“The European rules on traceability have allowed member states to discover rapidly the origin and distribution chain of the fraudulent products,” said Borg. “The EU Rapid Alert system also allows us to circulate in all 27 EU countries all information related to the investigations on this scandal.”

Borg added that the EC was ready to help national investigators “in any possible way”.

“We will continue to coordinate this situation both at political and technical level with urgency to help member states restore the confidence of consumers,” he said.

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